<![CDATA[This Bureaucratic simplification is one of the government's strategic agendas in its efforts to realize effective, efficient, and adaptive governance. Through Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Regulation No. 17 of 2021, the government established a policy of equating administrative positions with functional positions as a form of structural reform to strengthen the professionalism of the civil service. This study aims to analyze the implementation of this policy in the Asahan Regency Secretariat, identify obstacles in its implementation, and examine the efforts made to overcome the obstacles that arise. The research approach used is qualitative and descriptive in nature, through interviews, observations, and documentation studies. The results of the study show that the implementation of the position equalization policy in Asahan Regency has been carried out in accordance with the provisions, but still encounters various obstacles such as the unpreparedness of human resources, the lack of understanding of officials regarding functional positions, and the mismatch between competencies and positions resulting from equalization. The psychological factors of officials, changes in work patterns, and adaptation to new workloads are also significant challenges. Efforts made include increased socialization and technical guidance by the Organization and BKPSDM Division,as well as readjusting functional positions by the deadline set by the government. The findings of this study are expected to be taken into consideration by local governments in improving the effectiveness of implementing position equalization policies as part of bureaucratic reform.]]>
